Petroleum still



Mar; 3, 1925. 1,528,520

W. D. P. AIMS PETROLEUM S TI LL Filed Sept. 30. 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1.5" l

Mar. 3, 1925. 1,528,520

W. D. P. AIMS PETROLEUM STILL Filed Sept. 30- 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM B. r. anus, or PHILA ELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PETROLEUM STILL.

Application filed September 80, 1920. Serial No. 413,705.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. P. AIMs,

a citizen of the United States, residing at is a specification.

'ing part's in plan.

Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Petroleum Stills, of which the following The princi al objects of the present invention are, rst, to provide for continuous distillation; second, to provide for inspection of the distilling operation; third, to provide for accurate and flexible regulation of temperatures; fourth, to provide for relacing, exchanging and adjustingthe workmg parts of the still; fifth, to provide a still for satisfactory and economical use in refining petroleum; and sixth, to provide for progressive distillation in successive stages in an internally heated still. Other objects of the invention will appear from the fol1owing description at the end of which the invention Will be pointed out and claimed.

A still embodying features of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part hereof and in whichv Figure 1, is an elevational view, with one of theisidesremoved.

Fig. 2, is a horizontal sectional view showiig. 3, 1s a view drawn to anenlarged scale and showing one of the heaters. Fig. 4, is a diagrammatic view, shown in transverse section, of parts of the still, and Fig. 5, is an end view of some of the parts shown in Fig. 4.

In the drawings 1, is a olosed casing or cabinet of heat insulating material and it is shown as rectangular and mounted on feet 2, but the shape may be varied. This casing V is provided at its top with an ofitake 3, for

the distillate and at its bottom with an offtake 4, for the residuum, and transparent 1s, 19*, 20 21 and 22*.

shown in Fig. 3, each heater consists of a section .of pipe having caps 9 and 9, ap-

plied to its ends, and each trough 7, is fitted at its ends to these caps 9 and 9, leaving space between the troughs and the sections of p pe for the passage of the material being distilled. 10, are blocks arranged one above the other for supporting the troughs and heaters in the described superposed relation.

'11, is an upright header or pipe arranged in the easing or cabinet 1, and to which superheated steam or the like is supplied by the valved pipe 12, fitted with a gage 13. 14, 1s a pet or drum cock connection for this p pe 11. 15, is in upright exhaust or oiftake pipe arranged in tl1e casing or cabinet 1, and provlded with a gage connection 16, and with a dlscharge connection 17. The heaters 6, are connected across or between these pipes 11 and 15, although not in line. with them,

Fig. 2, and since the connections are alike a description of the connections of one heater will'sufiice. 18, is a branch pipe from the header 11, and it is provided with a valve 19, whose stem 20, is operable from the exterior of the casing and with a coupling or union 21. From the coupling 21 to the cap '9, of the heater extends a curved pipe 22. The connections from the heater, or more accurately the cap 9 thereof, to the 'outlet header 15, are the same as those just described, and they are therefore designated The purpose of the couplings 21 and 21", is to permit of the removal of one or more heaters and of their replacement by a heater or heaters of different sizes. Each heater is shown as equip ed with a pyrometer 23, having its electrlcal couple 24, arranged therein, and extending outside of the casing or cabinet. Petroleum or other material to be distilled is introduced at 25, Fig. 4, into a box 26, confined within the casing 1, and supported on the headers or pipes 11 and 15. This box is vented as at 27, and is rovided at its bottom with a slit 28, aligne with the upper surface of the top heater 6. 29 is a plug valve operable by a stem 30, accessible from the exterior of the cabinet 1, and adapted to control the flow through the slit 28. The slit form of the openin material being disti led insures constant flow and avoids stoppage. 31, is a safety valve arranged at the top of the casing or cabinet 1. By removing one of the walls of the cabinet or casing 1, access may be had to the for the passage of the interior for the purpose of making repairs and renewals which can be readily effected since all of the parts are readily accessible.

The mode of operationmay be described as follows:

The flow 0t superheated steam through the heaters 6,,from the pipe 11, to the pipe 15, is regulated to obtain and maintain the exact heat required ateach heater or cylin-' der 6. and for this purpose the gages 13 and 16, may be reterred to and use may be made of the pyrometers 23, and of the various valves including 20 and 20 and the inflow of oil and outflow of residuum are adjusted by the valves 30 and 4, so that the distillation is continuous and is carried on at any temperature desired and the distillation may be observed through the windows 5 and regulated if desired.

The interior of the cabinet or casing 1, is of course as hot as may be required and there is ample room or space all around the heaters and their connections for the escape of the distillate given off progressively as the petroleum or other material is heated in stages while flowing down over the heaters. The valve 4:, is so regulated that enough of the residuum is retained in the bottom of the casing to provide a seal for the distillate which escapes at 3.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made in details of construction and arrangement without departing from the spirit of the invention which is not limited as to such matters or otherwise than as the prior art and the appended claims may require.

I claim:

1. A still comprising the combination of a heat retaining casing or cabinet having top and bottom outlets for the distillate and residuum respectively. a. series of superposed internally heated heaters and slit-bottom troughs alternated with the heaters and arranged in the casing or cabinet and spaced from the side walls thereof, valves operable from the exterior of the casing and apper-' taining to the respective heaters for regulating the heat of the heaters independently, and means for introducing the material to be distilled onto the top heater, substantially as described.

2. A still comprising the combination of a heat retaining casing or cabinet having at its top a distillate outlet and at its bottom a residuum outlet, vertical headers arranged in the casing and spaced from the side walls thereof and provided with valved pressure gauge and drain connections, a feed box mounted at the top of the headers and provided with an elongated slit plug valve operable from the exterior of the casing to supply the material in sheet form, a series of side walls thereof and provided with valved I pressure gage and dram connections, a feed. box mounted at the top of the headers and provided with a slit-plug valve operable from the exterior of the casing, a series of superposed heaters each connected across the headers and-provided with valves operable from the exterior of the casing and with pyrometers, said heaters having end caps, split-bottom troughs alternated with the heaters and engaging the caps, and blocks for detachably supportingthe troughs and caps whereby the heaters and troughs are made interchangeable as units without dis tin-hing the rest of the apparatus, substantially as described.

4. A still comprising the combination of a heat retaining casing or cabinet having at its top a distillate outlet and at its bottom a residuum outlet. vertical headers arranged in the casingand spaced from the side walls thereof and provided with valved pressure, gage and drain connections, a. feed box mounted at the top of the headers and provided with a slit'plug valve operable from headers and provided with couplings. a

series of heaters detachably connected with l the couplings and provided respectively.

with valves operable from the exterior of.

the casing and with pyro-meters for each heater. and slit bottom troughs alternated with the heaters, substantially as described. 5-. A still comprising in combination a casingor cabinet, a heated structure arranged in and spaced from the side walls of the casing and including spaced horizon tal cylindrical heaters over which the material to be distilled flows in the form of a flat stream commensurate in width with the length of the heaters and by which it is progressively distilled in stages. means accessible from the exterior of the casing for 120 controlling the temperature of the heaters independently of each other. and devices for maintaining a continuous flow of material in flat stream form whereby clogging is avoided, substantially as described.

1' 1. Rams.

100 the exterior of the casing, a series-of branch connections extending laterally from the. i 

